Not Quite Paradise
by FireSafety
Summary: A leader struggles to keep New Earth from intergalactic war, a spook attempts to balance duty and loss, and three alien thugs race to warn the humans of a hidden threat that seeks its destruction. Chapter Two now available.
1. Prologue

**Author's note: **Hi all, this is my first Titan AE fic in a long time. I'm using entirely new characters for this story but retaining all the rich history and setting of the movie. I'll be adding new chapters periodically so please keep checking back. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy.

**Prologue**

**- Journal Entry #346**

**- Carson Miles, Commander**

_**- UCS Constellation**_

**- May 17th, 3049**

It's been almost a year since my redeployment aboard the _Constellation_ and I've already grown homesick. Makes me feel like some recruit complaining like this, but many of the officers and crew also share the same attitude after a year away from New Earth. They miss the clear vistas of the newly created planet, the feel of a cool wind blowing softly by, the warmth of the sun on their skin. The old saying goes that, you never appreciate what you've got until it's gone, and most of the human race never knew how much the Earth meant to us as a species until it was turned into dust and debris by the Drej. Over sixteen years adrift in space, trying to survive rampant speciesism by other aliens who were cowed by the power of the Drej's mothership, hunted by Drej, slavers, and hiding in dank space stations and drifter colonies was taxing for us all. So to come back home after all the hardships and then be told that your next mission is to leave the planet and secure the quadrants around the system was tough to swallow.

We received a new order today that will take us even further out from our initial recon and patrol area. The spearhead of a new operation to expand our scope in the galaxy, et cetera. What we're doing out there is still a mystery even to us in command, I assume it's to do another sweep and clear, making sure there's no predatory vessels out and about looking to capture human transports to open up another lane of foreign commerce to and from New Earth. Whatever the reason, it's sure to keep us busy for at least another month before we're relieved.

So far all has been quiet mostly on this front. Some of the other quadrants have run into more serious problems, like the near scuffles with the akrennians. It takes alot for me to even write akrennian without adding bastard or whores nearby, but I've written about that in length enough. We took down a slave barge that held twenty humans aboard on this voyage, but that's about all we've managed to run into in our patrol. Every time I've come across one of those vile ships something from there will always stick with me. Children beaten and battered to near death, malnurished men and women with scars from the prods and razorwhips, rape victims and people so broken by the experience that they can't perceive the idea of not being in a cage and working under the usually harsh terms of a slave driver, beginning to return to their captured existence.

It is usually UCAF policy to capture said barges and wait for a transport to take them to New Earth for processing. But thanks to a deal the politicians at Colorado made with the Council of Galaxy Wayfarers, most of them are never given a trial through our courts despite their crimes, and instead are given over to the respective governments. Some are put on trial, or so we hear, but most in the service have a suspicion that they're just let go and free to be scum bags elsewhere. Wouldn't surprise us any, after all we were the punching bag of the Spiral Arm for almost two decades, and now that we have a new home we're becoming a interstellar power once again. That's why some of the most serious offenders are usually are never reported to the Council. Some would say that it lowers us to their level, but those that spout such crap never had to comfort a child as she slowly died from starvation and covered in festering wounds.

I find myself looking at a picture of my wife and myself as we stood outside the _Orion_ a few days after first touchdown on New Earth, well rather, soon to be wife at the time. The iron engraved band weighs down my hand in recollection, the smell of the rain, the feel of fresh grass and soil between my toes, the sounds of rockets shuddering and incoming ships packed with drifters, the gigantic drifter colony ships making their way towards the planet in the distance. I was a green eared recruit and she was an ensign when _Orion_ launched from Old Earth a few mere hours before the Drej moved into our system and wiped out our global defense. Even though we occupied the same ship, we never even met each other until six years afterwards in the recreation room. She challenged me to a boxing match after she heard me running my mouth after getting a 8-0 win streak. I keep telling everyone that I was thrown off cause she was a woman, and my pa taught me better than to hit a woman. But she had one hell of a right hook.

We waited to get married once we got to New Earth, which was still eight years away at the time we discussed it. We had no idea if we were ever going to, since communication with the _Titan_ went dark a few days after Earth. It was our little way of clinging onto the hope that it was still out there somewhere. She's there now, and I wonder if she's looking out to the stars and wondering where I am and what I'm doing. But knowing her she's got her ear firmly to the ground and all her spooks feeding her intel. Being the new director of the United Colonies Intellegence Division, she has been busy adjusting to her new high stress job shortly before I left. I asked her why she even wanted to be in Intel when she first signed up, and she simply smiled to me and said: "I'm sick of metal walls and empty space surrounding me. Besides, someones gotta tell the meatheads where to point and fire their guns."

Guess we all have to find our own way of pitching in and defending this new planet, this new home of ours. The Tuckers did their part in creating it, and now it's time for all of humanity to rebuild and protect that new land. I set the photo back onto my desk, feeling a bit better and less pessimistic now about my current situation. My homesickness wavers as I glance at my ring again and think about the first thing we'll do once I get back there. Locking her in a room with a bottle of the finest champagne I can get my hands on, and removing the cell batteries of her comm to work. Only got a few more hours till _Constellation's _slipdrive takes us back into normal space, so I'm gonna catch a few z's before being summoned to the bridge.

**- No more entries found.**


	2. Sailor's Warning

**1: Sailor's Warning**

The shrill of the alarm in her bedroom blended in with the klaxon of the _Orion _in her dreams as Jaelyn strapped herself into the navigations station, her amber eyes darting about the bridge looking for a familiar face in the hurried bustle of officers and crew. Her heart beat rapidly as ship creaked, hearing the docking anchors begin to detach from the vessel. She had only just graduated from the officers academy days ago, and now with the news of the Drej suddenly on a warpath in their system with little warning and reason, she was assigned to the ship and requested for immediate departure. She didn't see any familiar faces aboard the bridge to anchor to, just worried and frantic faces as everyone prepped the ship for launch as the launch bays ahead rumbled to life. The lens immediately polarized as the sun's warm rays poured in so that the morning light didn't impede with operations, but the crew stopped their frantic ready checks and glanced out the window towards the fiery star anyway, Jaelyn included. How could one sight seen day in and out to most mesmerize so many in this important hour. Maybe everyone knew deep down that this could be the last sunrise they ever witnessed.

The bridge doors pulled apart with a mechanized click, the computer's AI cutting through the thick silence in the room "Captain on deck." the male voice rang. Everyone in the room stood at attention, raising their heads up and facing the arrival of their captain, an aged but stocky man named Elijah Kennard. His faded blue eyes glared around the room to each man and woman, then out the window to the morning light. He huffed "Back to your damn positions. I see one more person look out that window for more than five seconds that shouldn't be, I'll make the first shot fired at the Drej is a jettisoned locker with your ass inside it." he barked as he made his way to the captain's chair, his second and third-in-command filing into the room as the people turned back to their stations. Jaelyn flinched as the klaxon got noticibly louder and louder, her focus on the panel fading before her as she tapped in coordinates. Frustrated as the numbers and letters began to jumble and the echo of the alarm echoed through her head, she balled her hand into a fist and brought her hand down.

The alarm clock silenced as the woman stirred between bedsheets, pushing her lean body up in a sitting position as she brushed her chestnut hair out of her face. She glanced to the side of the queen sized matress Carson used to sleep upon, still empty as the day he left it. Her mind wandered to what he was doing out there in the stars, hoping that he was out there making a difference, but she knew there wasn't much to do in his stationed quadrant. Being the director of the intellegence division of the United Colonies had its perks, like being able to keep up to date on her husband's vessel without needing to hear it from his lips, or from the ocassional reports sent to her offices. The window shades automatically began to part as it did every morning in part of a failsafe just in case the alarm failed to do its job, the soft red morning light peeking over distant mountain tops and adding more coloring the azure sky, casting the darkness of the room away. Jaelyn smirked to herself and shoved the bedding aside "Alright, alright...I'm up."

After breakfast she began to prepare for the busy work day ahead, picking out a proper suit to wear for today's ceremonies. The news program on the television began to perk her interest as she was about to duck into the bathroom to change, her momentum stopped and she leaned out to view the program briefly. Senator Mason Parnell had been the feature of the story, and the embezzlement scheme he had been working on for the past couple years. Videos of him ducking and dodging the flashes of hungry media cameras days just after the news leaked out, even an audio statement sent to the station played: "I have always placed the people of this great land first and foremost. These allegations are baseless and a cheap political ploy to sway voters."

That message was sent only hours before a damning dossier was sent to press outlets detailing how the man attempted to steal thousands of government credits through the use of fake charities and restoration projects. When politicians get cutthroat, they know which blade can cut the deepest. Jaelyn shook her head slightly and went back into the bathroom to prepare for the very publicized arrest of the senator today. She was to join UC Police in apprehending him in a show of solidarity between the departments. Crime and corruption had been nothing new to the levels of any government on the old Earth, but the heads of the colonies want to show everyone, Council included, that humanity was turning over a new leaf. So a house cleaning was required, and Mason was just another weed that needed pulling.

Mason was never a true politician, but rather just a charming man that managed to talk and pay his way to the higher levels of _New York _colony. Rumor was that Mason was a gambling addict back on the colony, and in one of his many games _New York _colony leader Evan Gerry was supposibly attending. The game came down to one final draw between the two, and it ended in a tie. They both had four aces. Rather than cracking each others skulls open, trying to place the blame on either one for cheating, the two supposedly laughed it off and divided the share equally. They became good drinking buddies and once the ships began to land, Gerry called on Parnell to join his party. Whether Gerry was a poor judge of character was still up to debate, as Jaelyn recalled, Mason never actually kicked that rumored gambling habit of his.

Jaelyn stepped out of the bathroom after adjusting her suit's wrists and collar just in time to hear the comm unit chirping on the table in the next room. She slipped the unit into her ear and pressed a finger gently to the answer button "Jaelyn Miles."

"Mrs. Miles, the motorcade is outside." A female voice answered back.

"Thank you." she clicked the end call button and moved quickly to the door "Power down." she commanded, and the house complied as the lights and television began to shut off as she exited. She was greeted out front by a long, black hovercar being escorted by four police officers riding by hovercycles. The door to the car was opened by the driver, a woman with an athletic form and short cropped blonde hair, who greeted Jaelyn with a small smile "Hello Director Jaelyn Miles. Chief Carter Fotherby is inside."

Jaelyn made her way inside the car, where UC Police Chief Carter Fotherby was inside enjoying the contents of a flask he soon slipped in the coat pocket of his police regailia. The emblem of the police department, a golden star wrapped around New Earth, adorned the cap that rested on the seat next to him and just below his nametag. Medals and honors covered the man's chest, his dress suit pressed to near perfection. The bulky man leaned forward to extend a handshake, the aging creases on his cheeks pulling back as he smile "Pleasure to meet ya, Director Miles. Chief Fotherby." he said as the two hands clasped.

His grip was firm and confidant, betrayed only by the beads of sweat on his forehead "A pleasure. I certainly hope I'm not making you nervous, Chief."

The man leaned back, swiping a hand across his forehead and against his red hair "Ahh, naw ma'am. It's them media types and all them cameras. I never get use ta them no matter how many times I'm in fronta them."

Jaelyn crossed her legs with a small smile "I guessed that's what the flask of liquid courage was about." she peered outside, watching the sun briefly as it rose through the heavily tinted windows one last time before the tall skyscrapers of Colorado blocked the view as they made their way deeper into the city.

Carter briefly glanced out with her, letting out a sigh "My men near Mason's office already secured the street and the building, heard that the press began to build up there early in the morning."

"And the senator?"

"In his office clearing out his desk and paperwork I hear. They really know how ta put a guy through the wringer, eh? I'm surprised they haven't called him an akrennian sympathizer yet."

Jaelyn nodded lightly "An example to show that years out in space without a home has changed us for the better, I imagine."

The chief let out a low chuckle as he took his cap into his hands and fiddled with it "Ain't much has changed if ya ask me."

The two sat in silent thought for a moment as the mountains disappeared behind the tall skyscrapers of Colorado, the capital city of the United Colonies. Named after the _Titan's_ historic launching point, the large city is home to nearly two and a half million humans and the headquarters of the budding United Colonies government. Most of the gleaming towers that stretched tall to the sky were built from parts of the largest colony in the After Earth era, and one of the first to make planetfall, _Houston_ colony. Alot of the skyscrapers are still under construction, and some of the building are still marred by damaged plating that had yet to been repaired, but even despite the flaws the city was a showcase of architectural ingenuity and the human spirit to survive and rebuild after calamity. Delegates from all fifteen major colonies come to the prized city to debate and shape humanity's domestic and foreign policies.

"So, I understand Mrs. Fotherby is teaching children now. How's that going for her?" Jaelyn asked, looking back towards the Chief.

Carter scratched his chin "Uhh, just fine, thank you...how did you know my wife teached children? You guys aren't snooping around are ya? I'm a clean man, I'll have you know."

Jaelyn shook her head with a short laugh "No, no, I just read your backround last night was all, wanted to know a little bit about who I was meeting. And other than your mild drinking habit, you seem alright by me, chief."

He reclined in his seat "She just started two days ago, so how..."

"We keep very up to date records."

-------------------------------------------------------

The car soon arrived outside the _New York_ senator's office amid a frenzy of media personnel as their autocams snapped continual pictures, pressing their mics towards Jaelyn and Carter as they made their way up the steps, several reporters shouting requests for a candid remark or sound bite. Their calls were unanswered as police kept them at bay while the two made their way inside, greeted by a small escort of two dressed police officers. The group took the elevators to the forthteenth floor, the offices of Mason Parnell "Can't wait till this is done with. This was supposed to be my day off, you know." the chief mentioned to Jaelyn, removing his cap and wiping his forehead once more.

"I guess it's true, justice never sleeps." she remarked, giving him a grin before looking back to the floor indicator, floor 11.

Carter cracked a quiet laugh "You can say that again."

The elevator stopped and rang as the door opened, the escort stepping out and making their way through the busy hallways and cubicles, almost stopping work entirely as they walked by and finally to the receptionist officers were just outside the closed oak doors to his personal office as Carter and Jaelyn walked up to the receptionist, a curvy brunette with her hair pulled back in a pig tail "We're here under the order of the UC to place Mason Parnell under arrest." the chief told the girl.

"Um, I-I know, but Mr. Parnell requested that you waited five more minutes to finish up his..."

Carter groaned "He's had all bloody mornin' ta..."

The argument was cut short by the flash of light and the crack of a laser pistol discharging inside Parnell's office. Screams and gasps momentarily filled the large room as people poked their heads out of their work stations. Carter barked to his troops to clear out the area, as Jaelyn and the guards near the door moved into the room. Blood and gore covered the bookcase behind Mason's desk, while Mason himself was sprawled on the ground, the killing weapon resting near his lifeless body.


	3. Into the Maw

**2: Into the maw**

Carson awoke to a loud rap at the locked metal door leading to his room "Commander Miles? Commander Miles?" the young man repeated as the beating continued. The officer swung his feet from the bed and planted them on the cool metal floor "Yes, yes, I'm here. What is it?" Carson replied, looking up to the red emergency lights. Not a good sign "Captain Dalton wants you to report to the bridge immediately. He's ordered the _Constellation_ to run completely silent, no lights, no comms, no nothing."

As the soldier explained the current situation, Carson had already began to climb in and zip up his jumpsuit. Flying with Captain Dalton for the better part of the year, Miles felt he had gotten to know the man better than most on the _Constellation_. A celebrated fighter pilot, Isaac Dalton and his wingmen were instrumental in defending colony ships at they fleed from Earth during the Drej attack, and rumored to have scored the most kills than any other fighter group. Aboard the _Ares_ supercarrier, he reportedly flew fifty-eight sorties in colony defense from Drej harassers. He's a confidant man, but to hear that he's commanded the ship to shut down almost completely to evade something, sent a ghostly chill down Carson's spine. The door's auto opening mechanism wasn't working anymore, so Miles had to open the door manually. The soldier snapped to attention as soon as Carson exited, "As you were." Carson responded as he quickly made his way towards the bridge.

Miles watched other men and women as they hurried by, everyone visibly shaken in one way or another. One man pulled a cross from his neck and placed a kiss upon the symbol, another was triple checking systems on his datapad. It reminded Miles of his first mission on the _Orion_ once again, which only served to stoke his curiousity futher. He broke out into a short run to the bridge entrance as soon as he was near, and pulled open the door to see what exactly had everyone on edge.

He slowly walked forward into the room as his eyes were transfixed in the amazing sight before him. Each step shook with uncertainty as he struggled to grasp in his mind the object that was on screen, magnified several times due to the large distance away. Five ruby tentacles very slowly wavered in space, the 'skin' on each of them constantly flowed like currents of energy. The appendages all linked to a body, which were a tangled construction of red spires that combined near the end of the thing. Around the middle of the body was a white glow, the source of which was blocked from view by the twisted rubicund frame. Several small fighter vessels flew around the perimeter, keeping a tight five ship formation as six larger transport sized ships seemed to be busily working on a large energy ring.

"Is that the..." Carson spoke, breaking the silence in the room as he stepped towards the captain.

"Drej? You've got it." Dalton moved closer to the screen, reaching out and pointing to the fighters "Standard Drej tech as far as the fighter ships go. The larger ones are construction vessels, at least as far as I can tell they are, they've never been seen before and they seem to be building that ring object. As for the captial ship...if it even is a ship, I'm open to suggestions."

The _Constellation _was at a complete stop near a large gaseous planet simply labelled L-G 34 on most star maps, simply because most never bothered to name such a planet. Since it was composed of mainly of hydrogen, and trace amounts of poisonous gases like planet Jupiter in the Solar System, no one had taken any interest in it due to the fact that any attempt to extract resources from it would take too long and probably spend more than it's worth. The side of the planet where the nearest sun shined upon revealed the planet's purple and grey haze coloring. The other half was completely darkened, where the large octopus-like Drej vessel took residence, an almost perfect spot for such a monster to lurk.

"How is it that our long range scan of the sector never picked this thing up?"

An officer from the detection systems stood "Sir, our scans were clear for only fifty percent of the area, something interfered with our readings."

"Perhaps that planet they're hiding behind...perhaps a nearby nebulae...who knows. Many factors can interefere with the scanners." Dalton added, turning back to face Carson "Luckily, we think it also disrupts their own detection devices, or else we would have probably been in combat by now. But the more power our ship uses, the more likely they'll spot us, which is why I ordered the ship's AI to go to one percent capacity and shut down everything but essential operations."

Carson folded his arms as he watched the Drej mill about the gigantic vessel like ants near a mound "But we can't stay like this forever. We need to leave this system and call in the calvary, or at least send out a warning."

"No go, t-the slipdrive needs time t-to recharge, and it requires at least twenty five percent of the ship's power dedicated to the t-task." One of the younger officer's spoke, his hands shaking as he rubbed at them.

"So we bring the ship up to twenty-six, twenty-seven percent and start the process." Carson turned to the crew, each of them looked to each other as if the commander had just sprouted two limbs.

Finally, one of them replied "But, if the Drej find us..."

Dalton quickly cut her off "If the Drej find us, we fight back as we make a tactical retreat. The largest ship couldn't possibly catch up with the _Constellation_ running at full speed, and we should have enough firepower and shielding to hold off the fighters until the slipdrive is active again." He looked to Carson momentarily, then towards the engineering control "Do it. Start her up slowly at two percent and raise every five sec-"

"Captain, look!" The navigation officer stood and pointed towards the screen, which drew everyone's attention towards the display.

Ten more fighters took off from the bays of the tentacled vessel, rising upwards as they got away from the bays and split into two groups of five. The groups created a wide 'W' formation and flew straight towards the _Constellation _at a steady speed_. _

"Captain, they're heading right for us. Orders?" Carson asked as he glared towards the screen, feeling his heart beat faster in anticipation to the attack. Dalton simply stood his ground, his hands that held each other behind his back flexed as though deep in thought.

"They're getting closer, Captain, we gotta do something!" The communications officer shouted, his voice quivering towards the end of his cry.

"On my mark, raise power levels to one hundred percent, engage the AI back to maximum capacity, and shift the shields power maximum to the bow." The captain kept his composure even as a few of the naval officers began to lose their own. Immediately, the bridge shifted with activity as the Drej fighters came within cannon fire range "Three...two..."


End file.
